Suspended ceiling system



y 28, 1968 M. L. OLSON SUSPENDED CEILING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 8, 1965 FlG. 2

H II ud lOO MELVIN L. OLSON INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y8 United States Patent 3,385,020 SUSPENDED CEILING SYSTEM Melvin L. Olson, Issaquah, Wis, assignor to Simpson Timber Company, Seattle, Wash, a corporation of Washington Filed Mar. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 437,930 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-495) The present invention relates to suspended ceiling systems for supporting acoustical tiles or other panels, and particularly to such a system in which the panels rest on an exposed grid.

A principal object of the invention is to provide such a system in which the grid can be formed of wood members to take advantage of the esthetic value of wood when desired in certain types of installations, as for example, in residential construction.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a wood suspension system which is simple, economical, and durable construction.

Another object is to provide a suspended ceiling system which is easy to assemble and install .on the job site with a minimum of fasteners and adjustment.

Still another aim is to provide a grid system in which the grid members are held against vertical displacement relative to one another without need of auxiliary fastening devices.

Other more particular objects and advantages of the invention will, with the foregoing, appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consisting in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective plan view with parts broken away and partly in vertical section to illustrate a typical ceiling installation embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detail vertical sectional view taken as indicated by line 22 in FIG. 1 and with the ceiling panels removed.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 2 and with the ceiling panels in position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a detail elevational view with parts broken away and taken as shown by line 5-5 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating a modifieation of the ends of the cross-pieces.

Referring to the drawings it is seen that the suspended ceiling system of the present invention comprises a grid .of parallel spaced runners 19 and cross-pieces 11 carried by the runners. The latter are in turn supported from the overhead structure .12 by hangers 13. The grid members 1011 may have the same general cross-section and pro vide a network of coplanar support flanges or arms lila- 11a whose upper faces 10b-11b define the ceiling level. It is upon these flanges that the acoustical tile 14 or other ceiling panels rest by marginal portions of their lower exposed ceiling-defining faces. The remaining system components comprise hanger clips 15 for connecting the hangers 13 to the runners 10, and joint clips 16 for the butting ends of adjoining runner sections.

Directing attention to the transverse configuration of the grid members 10 and 11, such is in general an inverted-T providing at the bottom a respective pair of the tile-support arms Ida, 11:: from the center of which project respective upstanding legs 10c, 110. The portion of each grid member beneath the ceiling level defined by the faces ltlb-llb is of a generally trapezoidal configuration in cross-section with the shorter of the two parallel sides of the trapezoid facing downwardly and the two "ice sloped non-parallel sides of the trapezoid being equal and comprising the outer respective faces 10d, 11d of the arms of the grid member. In addition, the runners each have a pair of longitudinal grooves 17 at the juncture of the leg 10b and arms 10a, and these grooves, although having no function in the case of the cross-pieces 11, may be provided in the latter so that the runners and crosspieces can be cut from common stock.

At the ends of the cross-pieces 11 their arms 11a are cut back along a bevel end face He (FIG. 4) providing longitudinal projections 11 for resting on the arms 10a of the runners to support the cross-pieces. The acute dihedral angle between the bottom .of these projections 11 and the respective bevel end face He is matched to the dihedral angles between the upper faces 10b and outer faces of the runners so that the end faces 11e of the cross-pieces will butt the sloped runner faces 100 while the projections 11f rest on the arms 10a and reach to the runner legs 10c. The end butting of the crosspieces against the sloped runner faces 10c prevents the cross-pieces from being raised relative to the runners as by an updraft. Further interfit between the cross-pieces and runners may be accomplished by providing the projections 111 with lower longitudinal tongues 11g (FIG. 6) sized to project into the grooves 17.

Continuing to the hanger arrangement for suspending the runners from the overhead structure 12, as for example from a beam or joist, the hanger clips 15 are of an inverted channel configuration to fit over the runner legs 10c and have bottom in-turned lips 15a (FIG. 3) arranged to interfit with the runner grooves 17 and carry the weight of the ceiling. The hangers 13 comprise lengths of sheet metal strap each bent at its lower end to provide a foot 13a to extend between the upper face of a runner leg 10c and the web 15b of the related clip 15. At its free end the foot 13a may be doubled back over the top of the hanger clip as shown in FIG. 2 to hold the clip against endwise movement relative to the hanger strap. The hanger straps may be perforated, plumbing strap being suitable, to receive nails or other fastening devices for anchoring the hangers to the overhead structure. Alternatively, the hanger straps may be looped over staples 18 which are not driven completely home until the effective hanger length has been adjusted to level the ceiling grid.

The joint clips 16 may be fabricated from the same stock as the hanger clips to have a slide interfit with the runners 10 in like manner. In addition, the webs 16b of the hanger clips are preferably formed with a pair of down-struck tabs 16a to bite into the upper face of the lated runners and resist endwise relative movement.

For side wall treatment, half-sections 20 of the grid stock are provided. Lengths of this half-section may be secured by nails 21 (FIG. 4) as moldings to the side walls 22 which are parallel to the runners 10. Along the side walls which are parallel to the cross-pieces 11, the half-section moldings may be formed at their ends to interfit with the runners in the same manner as the crosspieces 11.

To install the suspension system of the present invention, the runners 10 and wall moldings 20 are first mounted. If the overhead beams 12 are spaced at the runner module, as shown in FIG. 1, they can serve as a helpful spacing guide with the runners located directly beneath. If this is not the case, the runners are placed at cross-angles relative to the overhead beams. In either case, after staples 18 for the hangers 13 have been nailed part-way to the overhead structure at the runner module, lengths of the runner with clips 15 sleeved in place, and hangers attached, are raised to permit the upper ends of the hangers to be looped through the staples. Then, when the effective length of the hangers beneath the staples has been adjusted to obtain the desired runner level, the

staples are nailed home to firmly lock the upper end portions of the hangers against the overhead structure. The joint clips 16 :are preferably sleeved into place at the ends of the runners prior to elevating, and the tabs 16c struck down into the upper face of the runners to lock the joint clips.

With the runners leveled in suspended position and the moldings 20 secured to the parallel side walls at the respective level, the cross-pieces are then installed. This operation can be performed by sliding the cross-pieces laterally along the runners after fitting them over open ends of the runners. Alternatively, this can be accomplished by swinging one runner away from the next suificiently to permit cross-pieces to be fitted by one of their ends onto the latter, and then swinging the displaced runner back into position while at the same time interfittin it with the other end of the cross-pieces. In either instance the cross-pieces are adjusted along the runners to the desired grid module. Finally, the ceiling panels 14 are lifted through the grid while in cocked position, and then are lowered into horizontal position resting on respective of the runner and cross-piece faces 10b and 11b.

The runners 10 and cross-pieces 11 are particularly adapted to be formed of wood and may be coated as desired. However, it is to be expressly understood that the external configuration of these members can be duplicated in metal or plastic without change of function.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood from the foregoing description. No limitations are to be implied therefrom, it being my intention that the language of the hereto annexed claims will be given the broadest interpretation which the same fairly admits.

What I claim is:

1. A ceiling suspension system comprising; a plurality of parallel spaced coplanar generally horizontal runners, a plurality of elongated cross-pieces carried by said runners and together therewith providing a supporting grid for carrying ceiling panels at a given ceiling level, said runners and cross-pieces each being of a generally inverted T-shape in transverse cross-section so that each runner and each cross-piece has a respective pair of generally horizontal arms and a respective upstanding leg with the top of said arms being at said given ceiling level, longitudinal grooves extending along the opposite sides of the legs of the runners, the ends of said cross-piec s having projecting tongues fitting into said grooves, and a plurality of hanger means interfitting with said grooves for suspending said grid from an overhead structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,447,684 8/1948 Finch 52496 X 3,055,469 9/1962 Byssing 52-475 FOREIGN PATENTS 689,794 9/ 1930 France. 799,350 8/1958 Great Britain.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner.

CHARLES G. MUELLER, G. W. HORNADAY,

Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CEILING SUSPENSION SYSTEM COMPRISING; A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL SPACED COPLANAR GENERALLY HORIZONTAL RUNNERS, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CROSS-PIECES CARRIED BY SAID RUNNERS AND TOGETHER THEREWITH PROVIDING A SUPPORTING GRID FOR CARRYING CEILING PANELS AT A GIVEN CEILING LEVEL, SAID RUNNERS AND CROSS-PIECES EACH BEING OF A GENERALLY INVERTED T-SHAPE IN TRANSVERSE CROSS-SECTION SO THAT EACH RUNNER AND EACH CROSS-PIECE HAS A RESPECTIVE PAIR OF GENERALLY HORIZONTAL ARMS AND A RESPECTIVE UPSTANDING LEG WITH THE TOP OF SAID ARMS BEING AT SAID GIVEN CEILING LEVEL, LONGITUDINAL GROOVES EXTENDING ALONG THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE LEGS OF THE RUNNERS, THE ENDS OF SAID CROSS-PIECES HAVING PROJECTING TONGUES FITTING INTO SAID GROOVES, AND A PLURALITY OF HANGER MEANS INTERFITTING WITH SAID GROOVES FOR SUSPENDING SAID GRID FROM AN OVERHEAD STRUCTURE. 